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Yoga is a
generic term for a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline
originating in ancient India and found in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism
and Sikhism. Specifically, Yoga is also one of the
six
orthodox schools in Hindu philosophy. It is based on the Yoga Sutras
of
Patanjali and aims to use meditation to attain salvation.
The goals
of yoga are varied and range from improving health to achieving moksha.
Within the
Hindu monist schools of Advaita Vedanta, Shaivism and Jainism,
the goal
of yoga takes the form of moksha, which is liberation from all
worldly
suffering and the cycle of birth and death (samsara), at which
point
there is a realization of identity with the Supreme Brahman.
In the
Mahabharata, the goal of yoga is variously described as entering the
world of
Brahma, as Brahman, or as perceiving the Brahman or Ātman that
pervades
all things. For the bhakti schools of Vaishnavism, bhakti or service
to Svayam
Bhagavan itself may be the ultimate goal of the yoga process,
where the
goal is to enjoy an eternal relationship with Vishnu.
The goal
of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a
state of
perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on
the Hindu
concept of divinity or Brahman.
A serious practitioner of Yoga (someone pursuing the higher spiritual
and religious goals of Yoga) takes upon themselves a life of austere
self-discipline common to nearly all forms of mystical and religious
life. The practices that constitute this self-disciplined life are
called in yoga yama and niyama. This self-discipline is the 'yoke' that
one puts upon oneself for the purpose of attaining moksha. An
alternative definition is that Yoga is the method of yoking, or
unifying, the "lower" (egoistic) personality (those inclinations that in
Hellenistic philosophy and Christianity are called passions) to the
"higher" via a process of sublimation.
Source:
Wikipedia |
